BERKELEY, Calif. - After a 101-50 loss at then-second-ranked Stanford last Saturday, Cal tries to regroup this week when the Bears travel to Washington and Washington State. The Bears split their two games with the Washington schools earlier this year, beating WSU, 80-46, but falling to UW, 54-52, last month in Berkeley.

Despite its youth, with nine freshmen and sophomores in the 11-player rotation, Cal is 6-4 away from home, including a 3-2 road record. Prior to the Stanford game, the Bears had won three in a row on the road in the Pac-10, defeating Oregon State, UCLA and USC.

Outside of the Stanford contest, the Bears have relied on an improved defensive effort recently. In the eight games from Jan. 15 to Feb. 12, Cal limited opponents to just 63.8 ppg and to 39.5 percent shooting from the floor, with five teams held to 65 or fewer points.

Overall, junior forward Sean Lampley continues to be the Bears leader in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Last weekend, he became the 30th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. After a 10-point effort at Stanford, he now has 1,001 points. Lampley also enters the Washington game with 595 rebounds, and five more will make him the 11th Bear to accumulate 1,000 points and 600 boards.

Freshman center Nick Vander Laan has also been an imposing force along the frontline for Cal. He has led the Bears on the glass 11 times in the last 14 games and has posted five double-doubles over that time. Two of those came in late January when he had 12 points and 12 rebounds against WSU and 10 points and a career-high 13 boards vs. Washington.

In the backcourt, freshman point guard Shantay Legans has shown improvement over the last five games when he has averaged 11.2 ppg and shot 66.7 percent from three-point range (12-18). As a result, Legans has moved into first place in the Pac-10 in three-point accuracy at 46.5 percent overall. He also ranks second in free throw shooting (87.5%).

Cal on the Radio
All California games will be broadcast on KABL Radio (960 AM) in San Francisco and KATD Radio (990 AM) in Concord with Roxy Bernstein calling the action. Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off with the Cal Basketball Pregame Show. After the game, head coach Ben Braun will recap the action on the Cal Basketball Postgame Show. In addition to the radio, broadcasts can be heard on the Internet at www.broadcast.com.

www.calbears.com
All Cal releases, results, statistics, box scores, schedules and coach and player information, as well as historical data, is available on the Internet at www.calbears.com. Game recaps and statistics are updated after each contest. The site also includes information on all 27 of Cal's teams.

Cal Radio on Telephone
All Cal basketball radio broadcasts during the 1999-2000 season are available nationwide via telephone through TRZ Telephone Broadcast Services. Fans may access the Cal games from anywhere in the country by dialing 800-846-4700, extension 5918. The cost is 50 cents for the first minute, with decreasing rates for each addition minute.

Haas Pavilion
Cal returned to campus this season with the opening of the new 12,172-seat Walter A. Haas Jr. Pavilion. The $57.5 million facility is a renovated and expanded version of old Harmon Gym. In addition to the basketball court, the building features coaching and administrative office space, locker rooms, a spacious weight room and athletic training facilities, as well as media work and interview rooms. While Haas Pavilion was under construction, Cal played the last two seasons at the New Arena in Oakland.

Cal Coach Ben BraunBen Braun (Wisconsin '75), who was named the 14th head coach in Cal history on Sept. 15, 1996, is in his fourth year in Berkeley and 23rd season as collegiate head coach. His record at Cal stands at 71-45, while his career mark, which includes 11 years at Eastern Michigan and eight seasons at Siena Heights College, is 404-280. The 1997 Pac-10 Coach of the Year and a finalist for '97 National Coach of the Year honors, Braun led the Bears to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1997 and to the NIT championship in 1999. In October 1997, he agreed to a new eight-year contract that extends through the 2004-05 season. At EMU from 1985-96, the three-time MAC Coach of the Year guided the Eagles to three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance with an overall record of 185-132. He was also 148-103 from 1977-85 at Siena Heights. A native of Chicago, Braun played one year of basketball at Wisconsin-LaCrosse before transferring to Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a teaching degree in English with a minor in African-American studies in 1975. He received his master's degree in guidance and counseling from Siena Heights.

Washington Scouting Report

A Look at Washington (9-16, 4-9)
Washington is coming off a 67-58 upset at Oregon last Saturday. The Huskies outscored the Ducks, 44-27, in the second half and held Oregon to just 18.2 percent shooting (4-22) over the final 20 minutes. In Pac-10 games, UW is now 3-4 on the road, but just 1-5 in its temporary home in KeyArena.

Cal-Washington Series History
Washington has a 66-63 series edge, having won the last three games. Last month in Berkeley, Senque Carey hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Huskies to a 54-52 victory. Cal's last win was an 84-67 decision in 1998 at the Oakland Arena.

Washington Head Coach Bob Bender
Bob Bender is 94-100 in his seventh season at Washington. He has guided the Huskies to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in 1998.

Probable Starters

Pos

No

Name

Ht

Wt

Yr

Ppg

Rpg

F

33

Chris Walcott

6-9

215

Sr

9.1

4.5

F

42

Thalo Green

6-7

225

Jr

6.3

4.7

G

3

Senque Carey

6-4

210

So

11.3

4.8 apg

G

5

Deon Luton

6-5

205

Sr

15.5

3.4

G

23

Michael Johnson

6-4

190

Jr

10.4

3.5

Washington State Scouting Report

A Look at Washington (5-17, 0-13)
Washington State, which hosts Stanford Thursday, enters the week 0-13 in Pac-10 play, although three of the games have gone into overtime. The Cougars are one of the better three-point shooting teams in the Pac-10, making 37.6 percent from behind the arc. Guard Jan-Michael Thomas has made 51 treys on the year.

Cal-Washington State Series History
Cal owns a 57-39 series lead over Washington State, having won four of the last five meetings. On Jan. 27, the Bears claimed an 80-46 victory behind 22 points from freshman forward Joe Shipp.

WSU Head Coach Paul Graham
Paul Graham is in his first season at WSU after spending 16 years as an assistant coach. Most recently, he was at Oklahoma State from 1993-99.

Golden Bear Notes

No. 2 Stanford Beats Cal, 101-50
Second-ranked Stanford handed Cal its worst loss in school history, defeating the Bears, 101-50, Saturday in Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal shot 64.9 percent from the floor and made 11-of-22 three-pointers. The Bears were down just 17-14 midway through the first half, before Stanford rushed out to a 50-23 lead at the break. Sean Lampley led Cal with 10 points, while Nick Vander Laan grabbed a team-high six rebounds. The Bears shot only 33.3 percent from the floor and were 3-for-16 from three-point range.

Lampley Hits 1000 Points, Nears 600 Rebounds
By scoring 10 points at Stanford last Saturday, junior forward Sean Lampley became the 30th player in school history to score 1,000 in a career. Lampley now has 1,001 points and, at his current pace, could move up to the 20th spot by the end of the regular season. In addition, he ranks 15th in career rebounding with 595. With five more boards, he will become the 11th Bear to accumulate at least 1,000 points and 600 rebounds. The last player with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds was Brian Hendrick, who completed his career (1990-93) with 1,556 points and 898 boards. The MVP of last year's NIT, Lampley leads Cal in both scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg) this season. He has six double-doubles, including one with 14 points and 12 assists vs. Davidson. In addition, he has reached the 20-point mark six times with a career-best 29 at Oregon Jan. 13, and was named to all-tournament teams at both the Top of the World Classic and the Golden Bear Classic.

Defense Has Letdown at Stanford
Prior to last Saturday's game at Stanford, Cal's defense had been a strength of the team. In the eight games from Jan. 15 through Feb. 12, the Bears had limited teams to just 39.4 percent field goal shooting and to only 63.8 ppg. The best games came against UCLA (36.9 FG%) and Washington State (46 points) during that span. Prior to the turnaround, Cal was allowing 72.2 ppg on 45.0 percent shooting. However at Stanford, the Bears allowed surrendered 101 points and a season-high 64.9 percent shooting.

Freshmen Class Makes Big Impact on Bears
Before the start of the season, head coach Ben Braun stated that all five Cal freshmen would get a chance to contribute right away for the Bears ? and the quintet has certainly lived up to expectations. Every freshman has started at least nine games, with Brian Wethers and Shantay Legans starting 17 each and Nick Vander Laan starting 15. Five times this year Cal has started four freshmen in a game ? including the Pac-10 opener vs. Arizona ? with junior Sean Lampley the only veteran in the lineup. As a group, the five newcomers average 41.8 ppg (57.4% of team total), 17.2 rpg (52.2%) and 8.6 apg (58.5%). Vander Laan ranks second on the team in both scoring (9.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg), while forward Joe Shipp, who had a career-high 22 points vs. Washington State, is also averaging 9.8 ppg. Legans, who had 28 points vs. Arizona State, paces the Bears in both assists (86) and steals (39), and was voted all-tournament at the Golden Bear Classic. In addition, guards Donte Smith (personal-best 19 points vs. Oregon State) and Brian Wethers (6.8 ppg, 49 assists) have provided solid play in the backcourt.

Production By Class in 1999-2000

Year

Points (ppg / %)

Rebounds (rpg / %)

Assists (apg / %)

Senior

43 (1.8 / 2.5%)

21 (0.9 / 2.7%)

26 (1.1 / 7.4%)

Junior

384 (16.0 / 22.0%)

174 (7.3 / 22.1%)

74 (3.1 / 21.0%)

Sophomore

316 (13.2 / 18.1%)

176 (7.3 / 22.3%)

40 (1.7 / 11.4%)

Freshman

1004 (41.8 / 57.4%)

412 (17.2 / 52.2%)

206 (8.6 / 58.5%)

% = percent of team total

Pac-10 Standings

Pac-10

Overall

Arizona

12-1

23-4

Stanford

11-1

22-1

Oregon

9-4

18-6

Arizona State

8-5

16-9

USC

6-6

13-11

California

5-7

14-10

UCLA

4-8

13-11

Oregon State

4-9

12-12

Washington

4-9

9-16

Washington State

0-13

5-17

This Week in the Pac-10

Feb. 24 California at Washington, Stanford at Washington State, Oregon at UCLA, Oregon State at USC

Feb. 26 Arizona State at Arizona, California at Washington State, Stanford at Washington, Oregon State at UCLA, Oregon at USC

Pac-10 Teleconferences
The Pac-10 will hold media-only teleconferences with Pac-10 head coaches 10 times throughout the 1999-2000 season. Media should call the Pac-10 office at 925-932-4411 to obtain the number. A taped replay of the teleconference will be available beginning at 4 p.m. PT following each call at 402-220-9927. Below are the teleconference dates for this season:

Maturing Players Taking Greater Role
With five freshmen and four sophomores in Cal's 11-player rotation, much of the burden has fallen on the shoulders of junior forward Sean Lampley. During Cal's non-conference schedule, Lampley led Cal in scoring six times in 12 games and in rebounding on nine occasions. But since the start of Pac-10 play, other members of the young cast have begun to exert themselves. In league action, Lampley has paced the Bears in scoring just five times and only once in rebounding. Instead, the list of leading scorers in conference games includes Nick Vander Laan (once), Shantay Legans (3 times), Joe Shipp (once), Ryan Forehan-Kelly (once) and Donte Smith (once). On the glass, Vander Laan has topped Cal seven times in the last eight games. The 6-10 freshman is averaging 7.9 rpg against Pac-10 competition.

Freshmen Alter Top 10 Lists
Now that the season is in its final weeks, several Cal newcomers have put their names on Cal's all-time freshman lists or are rapidly approaching the Top 10. Both Shantay Legans (33) and Joe Shipp (32) are in the Top 5 in three-pointers made, while Legans (46.5%) ranks first in three-point shooting. Nick Vander Laan is also ninth in rebounding with 169 boards.

Vander Laan Raises Numbers in Pac-10 Play
Freshman center Nick Vander Laan has ranked among Cal's leaders in scorers and rebounders throughout the season. But since the start of Pac-10 play, he has become much more of a force under the boards, averaging 7.9 rpg. In 12 league games, Vander Laan has paced the team eight times in rebounding, including five double-doubles. His first came in the opener vs. Arizona when he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Vander Laan followed that effort with consecutive double-doubles against Stanford (15-11), Washington State (12-12) and Washington (10-13), and he added another vs. Oregon State (11-11). Take away his one-rebound game at Oregon State Jan. 15, when he played just four minutes due to a stomach virus, and Vander Laan is averaging 8.5 rpg in Pac-10 action.

Walk-on Forehan-Kelly Key Member of Rotation
Sophomore Ryan Forehan-Kelly, a 6-5 forward from Irvine, had scored just 12 points all year heading into Cal's game at Oregon State Jan. 15. But in 19 minutes against the Beavers, he tallied a career-high and team-best 17 points (6-7 FG, 4-5 3P, 1-2 FT) with four rebounds and two steals. That performance earned him a place in the starting lineup, a position he held for four consecutive games. Forehan-Kelly, who is in his second year as a walk-on for the Bears, has appeared 21 of Cal's 24 games this season, mostly backing up starting forward Sean Lampley. For the year, he is averaging 2.7 ppg (52.4 FG%, 11-25 3P) and 2.4 rpg. But over his last eight contests, his averages are 5.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He missed the Feb. 12 Oregon game with a sprained shoulder, but came back to score seven points at Stanford last weekend. Forehan-Kelly is one of five walk-ons on the Cal roster, a list that includes seniors J.T. Stephens, Cassidy Raher and Ryan Meyers, and junior Morgan Lingle.

Legans Contributing in Several Areas
Point guard Shantay Legans is showing that he can contribute to Cal's effort in several different areas during his freshman season. Not only does he pace the team in assists (86, 3.6 apg) and steals (39, 1.6 spg), but he also ranks among the Pac-10 leaders in three-point shooting (46.5%, 33-71) and free throw shooting (87.5%, 49-56). In fact, Legans three-point accuracy rates among the best in Cal history.

Trio Provides Support in the Middle
Sophomore center Solomon Hughes, freshman center Nick Vander Laan and sophomore center Shahar Gordon have given the Bears a stronger presence in the middle this year than they have in recent seasons. Hughes, who has started nine games, is averaging 5.0 ppg on 58.2 percent shooting from the floor. He has twice broken his career high this season, first with 11 points vs. Boston University, then with 12 against Davidson. Over his last four games, he is averaging 4.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg, tying his career high with eight rebounds vs. Oregon State. Vander Laan, a member of the staring lineup 15 times, ranks second on the Bears with 9.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg. He had a high of 23 points against Oklahoma and was named to the all-tournament team at the Golden Bear Classic. Vander Laan also has five double-doubles, all coming in Pac-10 play. Gordon, who missed five games following arthroscopic knee surgery Dec. 17, got his first start of the year against Stanford Jan. 22. He came through with a career-high-tying seven points and three rebounds.

Gordon to Return to Israel after Season
Sophomore center Shahar Gordon will return to his native Israel after the season to fulfill his two-year military commitment. Gordon, who has averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 12 games this season, has already received two one-year exemptions to play at Cal. His military service begins April 2 and he plans to work with his professors to be able to complete his spring semester coursework overseas. Gordon said he would consider a return to Cal once his military obligation is completed.

Bear Squad Youngest in School History
With only three upperclassmen among its 11 scholarship players, this year's Cal team is the youngest in school history. The Bears lost four starters and their sixth man following their NIT championship run last spring, leaving them with just two seniors and one junior for the current campaign. A look at past rosters shows that every previous Cal squad had at least four upperclassmen. Below is a look at several of the youngest squads to play for the Bears:

Year

Fr

So

Jr

Sr

1999-2000

5

3

1

2

1994-95

6

3

2

2

1992-93

3

5

2

2

1980-81

2

5

3

1

Golden Bear Notes
Head coach Ben Braun picked up his 400th career victory with a 71-65 win at Oregon State Jan. 15 ... the 10 three-pointers (19 attempts) by Cal against San Jose State were the most for the Bears since they had 11 (19 attempts) at Stanford on Jan. 31, 1996, Cal also had 10 treys vs. Washington State Jan. 27 ... Shantay Legans had five three-pointers vs. San Jose State, the most for a Cal player since Geno Carlisle had five at Oregon State on Jan. 5, 1998, Donte Smith later had five treys vs. Oregon State Feb. 10 ... Legans also had five steals vs. Washington Jan. 29, the most for a Bear since Dennis Gates also had five vs. Eastern Washington on Nov. 25, 1998.